Sports Medicine

At Memorial Sports Medicine, our physicians and athletic trainers are everywhere athletes need us to be.

Lake Charles Memorial Health System sets the standard for sports medicine in southwest Louisiana. Using advanced techniques along with pioneering non-invasive and surgical treatments help minimize trauma and prolong an athlete’s career.

Train – Recover – Strengthen - Execute. It’s what we do. That’s the Memorial Difference.

As the leading sports medicine center for Lake Charles and southwest Louisiana, we offer pediatric, adolescent and adult injury assessment and treatment for:

• Rotator cuff tendinitis to tears
• Frozen shoulders
• Dislocated shoulders
• Patella-femoral problems such as jumpers knee and chronic patella (kneecap) dislocation
• Meniscus (knee cartilage) disorders
• Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tears and reconstruction
• Ankle sprains
• Stress fractures
• Diagnostic imaging services
• Athletic rehabilitation: physical therapy and athletic training consultations
• Injury prevention outreach, education, and community speakers
• Custom knee bracing and orthotics

Our Standards

As the official sports medicine provider for all Calcasieu Parish high schools, our highly-skilled athletic trainers attend athletic games, evaluate athletes' injuries, and make recommendations to coaches, parents, and athletes concerning the best course of action. We work with the families when a referral to another medical facility or physician is necessary. Also, we assist coaches during P.E. classes, consult with them during off-season workouts and cover on-site practices as needed.

Our focus is always on the "total" health of the athlete.

Our experience has taught us that there is so much more to student-athlete healthcare and that's why we have proactively worked to develop such programs as:

• Annual school physicals for area athletes
• Concussion studies to reduce and prevent traumatic brain injuries by providing a baseline score to compare post-injury tests to make sure brain function is within normal limits to return to play
• Weight/hydration testing for wrestling athletes to determine whether a wrestler can compete safely in his particular weight class
• Saturday Morning Walk-in Sports Injury Clinic during football season
• Annual professional education workshops for our athletic trainers and doctors reviewing on-field treatment of injuries and latest medical protocols

Athletic Trainers

On any given weekend and any given sideline in southwest Louisiana, you might find an athletic trainer from Memorial Sports Medicine. Skilled in the prevention, care, and rehabilitation of injuries and illnesses that involve sports or physical activities, these athletic trainers have served student athletes of our region since 1975. Our athletic trainers provide immediate on-site assessment and proactive treatment recommendations for injured athletes.

Fall & Spring Physicals

Thousands of high school athletes from Calcasieu and surrounding parishes participate in the annual fall or spring pre-participation physicals hosted by Memorial Sports Medicine. Student athletes have their blood pressure, pulse, height, weight, upper and lower extremities, and flexibility checked by a volunteer army of nurses, nursing students, athletic trainers, and student athletic trainers prior to their physical examinations which are conducted by Memorial physician specialists and resident physicians.

Saturday Morning Walk-in Injury Clinic

The Saturday morning walk-in injury clinic offers a comprehensive, one-stop approach for area athletes needing the diagnosis and treatment of injuries sustained in any sport during the week. Open to all athletes during football season, no appointment is necessary at the clinic.

A physician, nurse practitioner and/or other medical professionals will only see injured players if:

• the athlete arrives by 8:00 a.m. at the Saturday clinic with a parent or legal guardian
• all insurance cards are provided at that time
• a parent or legal guardian provides a driver’s license or picture ID
• the social security numbers for you and your child are provided so that we can file insurance

In the case of student insurance purchased through your school, you must bring the completed Student Insurance Form (filled out by the school or athletic trainer and by the parent/legal guardian). This verifies that a school official is aware of the injury and has signed the acknowledgment. If this is not done, we will not file with the Student Insurance.